Effects of accumulator heat exchangers on the performance of a refrigeration system

An accumulator heat exchanger (AHX) consists of an accumulator and an inner heat exchanger (IHX) contained in a shell. The AHX has been used in multi-air-conditioners to obtain system reliability and high performance by providing liquid refrigerant into expansion devices and preventing wet-compression. Energy is exchanged between the evaporator exit and the condenser exit in the AHX. In this study, the heat transfer characteristics of the AHX were investigated experimentally, and the effects of the AHX on the performance of a refrigeration system using R22 were measured. The operating characteristics of the refrigeration system with the AHX were considerably different from those without the AHX. The AHX system showed higher refrigerant flow rate than the non-AHX system at a constant EEV (electronic expansion valve) opening because of higher subcooling, resulting in better performance and reliability of the refrigeration system. At 50% EEV opening, the cooling capacity and COP of the AHX system were higher than those of the non-AHX system by 7.5% and 3.2%, respectively.     

Control optimisation of CO2 cycles for medium temperature retail food refrigeration systems

This paper describes a detailed procedure into the investigation of optimised control strategies for CO₂ cycles in medium temperature retail food refrigeration systems. To achieve this objective, an integrated model was developed composing of a detailed condenser/gas cooler model, a simplified compressor model, an isenthalpic expansion process and constant evaporating temperature and superheating. The CO₂ system can operate subcritically or transcritically depending on the ambient temperature. For a transcritical operation, a prediction can be made for optimised refrigerant discharge pressures from thermodynamic cycle calculations. When the system operates in the subcritical cycle, a floating discharge pressure control strategy is employed and the effect of different transitional ambient temperatures separating subcritical and transcritical cycles on system performance is investigated. The control strategy assumes variable compressor speed and adjustable air flow for the gas cooler/condenser to be modulated to achieve the constant cooling load requirement at different ambient conditions.     

An investigation of the performance of a scroll compressor under liquid refrigerant injection

In this study, fundamental and practical influence of liquid refrigerant injection on the performance of a refrigerant scroll compressor has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. In the theoretical analysis, a compression model of vapor/liquid mixture is developed by taking account of heat transfer from the cylinder wall to suction, compression and injection refrigerant. An experiment has been done under the condition of keeping the oil temperature constant in order to investigate the fundamental influence of the liquid refrigerant injection on the compressor performance, and the results were compared with the theoretical ones. It was found that the injection basically increases the compression power and decreases the compressor efficiency, though the situation depends on the condition of the heat transfer to the injection refrigerant. And furthermore, the performance of the liquid refrigerant injection compressor under practical operating condition without controlling the oil temperature has been investigated. Under this condition, the compressor showed recovery and slight improvement of performance due to the decrease of the oil and cylinder temperatures by the injection. In addition, influence of the refrigerant injection on the oil viscosity and refrigerant solubility in the oil, which relate mechanical loss and reliability of the compressor, have been discussed.     

Effect of throat diameters of the ejector on the performance of the refrigeration cycle using a two-phase ejector as an expansion device

This paper is a part in a series that reports on the experimental study of the performance of the two-phase ejector expansion refrigeration cycle. In the present study, three two-phase ejectors are used as an expansion device in the refrigeration cycle. The effects of throat diameter of the motive nozzle, on the coefficient of performance, primary mass flow rate of the refrigerant, secondary mass flow rate of the refrigerant, recirculation ratio, average evaporator pressure, compressor pressure ratio, discharge temperature and cooling capacity, which have never before appeared in open literature, are presented. The effects of the heat sink and heat source temperatures on the system performance are also discussed.     

An experimental study on HC290 and a commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) mix as suitable replacements for HCFC22

This paper presents an experimental study on the performance of hydrocarbon refrigerants, namely propane and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) mix as suitable replacements for the widely used refrigerant HCFC22 in refrigeration and heat pump applications. A cylinder of commercially available LPG from New Zealand market was obtained for this study. The composition of the specific LPG mix (by mass fraction) was propane (HC290)—98.95%, ethane (HC170)—1.007%, iso-butane (HC600a)—0.0397% and other constituents in small proportions. Experiments were carried out in a laboratory heat pump test facility with maximum condenser capacity of approximately 15 kW. Condensing temperatures were held constant at 35, 45 and 55°C, while evaporating temperatures were varied over a wide range from − 15 to + 15°C. All tests were carried out at constant degree of superheat (about 1 K) and subcooling (about 8 K). All appropriate precautions were observed against any leaks or fire.The analysis revealed that the hydrocarbon refrigerants performed better than HCFC22 but with a small loss of condenser capacity. The mass flow rate and compressor discharge temperature were found to be significantly lower than HCFC22. The performance of the specific LPG mix tested was found to be better than HC290 at higher condensing temperatures but poorer at a lower condensing temperature. No adverse effects were found with the LPG mix despite the presence of little moisture (less than 0.01%) in its composition. The study reveals that LPG of the tested composition (i.e. predominantly a mixture of propane, ethane and iso-butane) can be an excellent refrigerant in heat pump/refrigeration applications.     

Two-stage heat pump system with vapor-injected scroll compressor using R410A as a refrigerant

Refrigerant vapor-injection technique has been well justified to improve the performance of systems in refrigeration applications. However, it has not received much attention for air conditioning applications, particularly for air conditioning in hot climates and for heat pumping in cold climates. In this study, the performance of an 11 kW R410A heat pump system with a two-stage vapor-injected scroll compressor was experimentally investigated. The vapor-injected scroll compressor was tested with the cycle options of both flash tank and internal heat exchanger configurations. A cooling capacity gain of around 14% with 4% COP improvement at the ambient temperature of 46.1 °C and about 30% heating capacity improvement with 20% COP gain at the ambient temperature of −17.8 °C were found for the vapor-injected R410A heat pump system as compared to the conventional system which has the same compressor displacement volume.     

Experimental investigation on convective heat transfer mechanism in a scroll compressor

This paper describes an experimental study on the convective heat transfer inside the scroll compressor. An experimental refrigeration system is composed with extensive instrumentations in the compressor that is operated at variable speeds. The 13 thermocouples installed inside the compressor monitor the temperatures of the scroll wrap during compression process of refrigerant. The temperature and the pressure of refrigerant at suction, and the pressure at discharge ports are measured, and applied to the numerical simulation as the operating condition parameters. The temperature measured at the discharge port is used to verify the simulation result with relevant heat transfer coefficient. This paper describes the effect of motion of the orbiting scroll on the convective heat transfer in the scroll wraps. Separate experiments are performed to investigate the heat transfer in such a peculiar physical condition. With this experimental result, the effect of the oscillation of the wall on the heat transfer is quantitatively analyzed and applied to the simulation of compression process in scroll compressor. The whole consecutive compression processes in the scroll compressor is simulated in detail by solving equations of mass and energy balance for the refrigerant. The modified heat transfer coefficient correlation considering the effect of motion of the orbiting scroll predicts the discharge temperature better than other typical heat transfer coefficients.     

Influence of liquid refrigerant injection on the performance of an inverter-driven scroll compressor

The operation of a scroll compressor at high compression ratios can cause excessively high discharge temperatures, which can be detrimental to the reliability and efficiency of the compressor. In the present study, the performance of an inverter-driven scroll compressor with liquid refrigerant injection was measured with a variation of compressor frequency, injection pressure, and injection location. The influence of the liquid injection on the performance is presented as a function of operating parameters and injection location by comparing the results with those for the non-injection case. It was found that liquid injection under high frequency was very effective at attaining higher performance and reliability of the compressor, but injection under low frequency showed some disadvantages. For high frequency at a given injection ratio, the injection at α=180°, for an injection angle at an injection port, yielded slightly better performance of the compressor as compared to that at α=90°.     

机械过冷CO_2跨临界制冷循环性能理论分析

采用蒸气压缩制冷循环(辅助循环)对CO_2跨临界制冷循环气体冷却器出口的CO_2流体进行冷却,可减小节流不可逆损失,提高循环性能。本文对机械过冷CO_2跨临界制冷循环进行热力学循环分析,结果表明:当在最优排气压力和最优过冷度两个参数条件下,循环存在最大COP。环境温度越高、蒸发温度越低,采用机械过冷方法使循环性能提升越显著,相对传统CO_2制冷循环,通过辅助循环可显著提高循环COP,降低CO_2排气压力和温度。相对CO_2压缩机,辅助循环压缩机的功耗较少。分析了辅助循环中采用11种不同制冷剂的性能,可得除R41外,其它10种工质对循环整体COP的提升程度差异不明显。综上所述,机械过冷CO_2跨临界制冷循环更适用于环境温度较高、蒸发温度较低的场合。     

Scroll compressors using gas and liquid injection: experimental analysis and modelling

The first part of this paper presents an experimental analysis of different hermetic scroll compressors using different methods of injection: the first one is without injection, the second one uses vapor injection and the third one liquid injection. The analysis reveals the influence of these methods on the compressor behavior. A simplified model of the scroll compressor is then proposed that takes into account not only the different internal processes but also the refrigerant injection. It assumes that the refrigerant mass flow rate is affected by a heating-up due to a uniform wall temperature. This fictitious wall is supposed to gain heat from the electromechanical losses and from the discharged gas and to loose heat to the suction and to the ambient. The compression step is considered isentropic up to the adapted pressure and then at constant volume until the discharge pressure. The model is able to compute variables of first importance like the mass flow rate, the electric power and the discharge temperature, as well as secondary variables as suction heating-up, discharge cooling-down, and ambient losses. The validation based on 45 experimental results shows excellent results.     

Natural refrigerant-based subcritical and transcritical cycles for high temperature heating

Theoretical analyses of subcritical/transcritical heat pumps using four natural refrigerants, carbon dioxide, ammonia, propane and isobutane have been carried out for high temperature heating applications at different heating outlet temperatures and heat sources using computer models. The compressor discharge pressures have been optimized for transcritical and subcritical (with near critical operation of condenser) cycles. Results show that for subcritical heat pumps, use of subcooling is efficient for heating applications with a gliding temperature. Results also show that although propane yields better coefficient of performance (COP) in low temperature heating applications, ammonia performs the best in high temperature heating applications. Finally, design aspects of major components of all the four heat pumps for high temperature heating have been discussed, particularly with reference to suitability of available lubricants to the newly evolved operating conditions.     

An elemental NTU- model for vapour-compression liquid chillers

This paper presents a steady-state model for predicting the performance of vapour-compression liquid chillers over a wide range of operating conditions. The model overcomes the idealisations of previous models with regard to modelling the heat exchangers. In particular, it employs an elemental NTU- methodology to model both the shell-and-tube condenser and evaporator. The approach allows the change in heat transfer coefficients throughout the heat exchangers to be accounted for, thereby improving both physical realism and the accuracy of the simulation model. The model requires only those inputs that are readily available to the user (e.g. condenser inlet water temperature and evaporator water outlet temperature). The outputs of the model include system performance variables such as the compressor electrical work input and the coefficient of performance (COP) as well as states of the refrigerant throughout the refrigeration cycle. The methodology employed within the model also allows the performance of chillers using refrigerant mixtures to be modelled. The model is validated with data from one single screw chiller and one twin-screw chiller where the agreement is found to be within ±10%.     

制冷剂充注量对冷藏车用制冷机组性能的影响

为了研究制冷剂充注量对冷藏车用制冷机组性能的影响,在数值模拟得到的制冷剂标准充注量的基础上,试验研究制冷剂充注量对压缩机吸/排气压力、吸/排气温度、蒸发器出口过热度、冷凝器出口过冷度及制冷能力的影响。研究表明,数值模拟方法得到的制冷剂标准充注量适用于实际制冷机组。     

Performance of vapor compression systems with compressor oil flooding and regeneration

Vapor compression refrigeration technology has seen great improvement over the last several decades in terms of cycle efficiency through a concerted effort of manufacturers, regulators, and research engineers. As the standard vapor compression systems approach practical limits, cycle modifications should be investigated to increase system efficiency and capacity. One possible means of increasing cycle efficiency is to flood the compressor with a large quantity of oil to achieve a quasi-isothermal compression process, in addition to using a regenerator to increase refrigerant subcooling.In theory, compressor flooding and regeneration can provide a significant increase in system efficiency over the standard vapor compression system. The effectiveness of compressor flooding and regeneration increases as the temperature lift of the system increases. Therefore, this technology is particularly well suited towards lower evaporating temperatures and high ambient temperatures as seen in supermarket refrigeration applications. While predicted increases in cycle efficiency are over 40% for supermarket refrigeration applications, this technology is still very beneficial for typical air-conditioning applications, for which improvements in cycle efficiency greater than 5% are predicted. It has to be noted though that the beneficial effects of compressor flooding can only be realized if a regenerator is used to exchange heat between the refrigerant vapor exiting the evaporator and the liquid exiting the condenser.     

X-ray investigation of a domestic refrigerator. Observations at 25°C ambient temperature

In this study, the transient behavior of a domestic refrigerator is investigated by the use of an X-ray system. The studies are made on a two-door upright freezer with a volume of 435 liters, and which has an automatic defrost feature. The refrigerant is R134a. During the experimental study, ambient temperature is held at 25±2 °C. Real time X-ray video images of the refrigeration circuit are taken during the pull-down (cooling down of the refrigerator from ambient temperature) and cyclic periods as well. X-ray images are recorded by focusing to on the dryer, capillary exit, evaporator inlet, and accumulator regions specifically. In order to watch evaporator and dryer sections continuously, two identical experiments are made while the probe is focused on either the evaporator or dryer sections each time. By matching the video images and temperature data, the flow regimes, charge inventory, accumulator functioning, and changes of subcooling degree at dryer inlet are explained. Possible flow induced noise mechanisms are identified.     

Thermodynamic analysis of an R744–R717 cascade refrigeration system

A thermodynamic analysis of carbon dioxide–ammonia (R744–R717) cascade refrigeration system is presented in this paper to optimize the design and operating parameters of the system. The design and operating parameters considered in this study include (1) condensing, subcooling, evaporating and superheating temperatures in the ammonia (R717) high-temperature circuit, (2) temperature difference in the cascade heat exchanger, and (3) evaporating, superheating, condensing and subcooling in the carbon dioxide (R744) low-temperature circuit. A multilinear regression analysis was employed in terms of subcooling, superheating, evaporating, condensing, and cascade heat exchanger temperature difference in order to develop mathematical expressions for maximum COP, an optimum evaporating temperature of R717 and an optimum mass flow ratio of R717 to that of R744 in the cascade system.     

The performance of a transcritical CO2 cycle with an internal heat exchanger for hot water heating

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of a transcritical CO₂ cycle with an internal heat exchanger for hot water heating. Performance test and simulation have been carried out for a transcritical CO₂ cycle by varying secondary heat transfer fluid temperatures at evaporator and gas-cooler inlets as well as the discharge pressure. Variations of mass flow rate of refrigerant, compressor power, heating capacity, and co-efficient of performance (COP) with respect to the length of an internal heat exchanger are presented at various operating conditions. Good quantitative agreement between model predictions and experimental results has been found; most parameters have absolute average deviations of less than 4%. As the length of the internal heat exchanger increases, COP is enhanced but heating capacity tends to decrease due to the trade-offs between the effectiveness and pressure drop in the internal heat exchanger.     

Application of an ejector in autocascade refrigeration cycle for the performance improvement

This paper presented a novel autocascade refrigeration cycle (NARC) with an ejector. In the NARC, the ejector is used to recover some available work to increase the compressor suction pressure. The NARC enables the compressor to operate at lower pressure ratio, which in turn improves the cycle performance. Theoretical computation model based on the constant pressure-mixing model for the ejector is used to perform a thermodynamic cycle analysis for the NARC with the refrigerant mixture of R23/R134a. The effects of some main parameters on cycle performance were investigated. The results show the NARC has an outstanding merit in decreasing the pressure ratio of compressor as well as increasing the COP. For NARC operated at the condenser outlet temperature of 40 °C, the evaporator inlet temperature of −40.3 °C, and the mass fraction of R23 is 0.15, the pressure ratio of the ejector reaches to 1.35, the pressure ratio of compressor is reduced by 25.8% and the COP is improved by 19.1% over the conventional autocascade refrigeration cycle.     

Experimental investigation of a CO2 automotive air conditioner

In this study, a CO₂ automotive air conditioner prototype was designed and constructed. The compressor was of swash plate design; the gas cooler and evaporator were made of fin-tubes; a manual expansion valve and an internal heat exchanger accumulator were used. The lubricant, the CO₂ charge, the evaporator outlet pressure, the compressor speed, the air inlet temperature and flow rate of the gas cooler and the air flow rate of the evaporator were varied and the performance of the prototype was experimentally investigated in detail. The cooling capacity, compressor power consumption, CO₂ mass flow rate, and COP value were analyzed. The experimental results showed that the CO₂ system performance was greatly affected by different lubricants; the CO₂ system performance was sensitive to the mass charge; the high side pressure affected the system performance greatly and a high side pressure controller was needed.     

Experimental investigation of a vapor absorption refrigeration system

An experimental investigation of the performance of a commercially available vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR) system is described. The natural gas-fired VAR system uses aqua-ammonia solution with ammonia as the refrigerant and water as the absorbent and has a rated cooling capacity of 10 kW. The unit was extensively modified to allow fluid pressures and temperatures to be measured at strategic points in the system. The mass flow rates of refrigerant, weak solution, and strong solution were also measured. The system as supplied incorporates air-cooled condenser and absorber units. Water-cooled absorber and condenser units were fitted to extend the VAR unit's range of operating conditions by varying the cooling water inlet temperature and/or flow rates to these units. The response of the refrigeration system to variations in chilled water inlet temperature, chilled water level in the evaporator drum, chilled water flow rate, and variable heat input are presented.